The long-awaited companion novel toSword and Verse follows Soraya Gamo, who was meant to be queen of Qilara until an Arnath slave rebellion destroyed the monarchy. Now, improbably, she sits on the new Ruling Council beside her former enemies, finally holding the political power she always wanted – but over a nation in ruins. As she works to rebuild Qilara, she can, at last, use what everyone once told her to hide: her brain. But when a slave ship arrives in the city, full of Arnathim captured before Qilara fell, the civil unrest that has been bubbling since the rebellion erupts. Can Soraya, raised to be a proper Qilarite lady, learn to be a true leader? Or will the sins of her past forever haunt the footsteps of her future? Find out more and pre-order.

In a sweeping fantasy that award-winning author Franny Billingsley calls “fascinating and unique,” debut author Kathy MacMillan weaves palace intrigue and epic world-building to craft a tale for fans of Rae Carson and Megan Whalen Turner. Raisa, enslaved in Qilara since the age of six, gets the extraordinary chance to learn the forbidden language of the gods. As she uncovers its connection to her own past, she finds herself torn between helping her people and protecting the man she loves. Find out more and order.